Super Happy Fun Words

Gloating Over Your Enemy's Downfall Proverbs 24:17-18 says, "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him." Our enemy's are the one's who have wronged us in some shape or form. In another way, we sometimes create enemies in our minds because of certain prejudices or wounds we hold from the past (think of Hitler and his sentiment toward the Jews). If we are breathing on this earth, we all have enemies, whether they are real or imagined. The day that we see our wrong-doer caught in a dire or destitute circumstance, we tend to inwardly rejoice. As people made in the image of God, we all have a sense of justice. So sometimes, we exult in the downfall of our enemy because we feel as though justice has been satisfied. This is the sentiment that Proverbs 11:10 captures: "When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are...

The Proverbs can be pretty blunt sometimes. For instance look at Prov 12:21: "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." It's almost comical in its bluntness but also painfully true at times. I find that the times when I make the dumbest decisions are when I fail to heed correction. By and large I tend to be too proud to listen or ask for help. I thought to myself recently, what is the root of my groundless and injurious pride? Proverbs seems to shed some light on this. We see the phrase 'the fool' used alongside 'the wise' quite a bit in the Proverbs. We usually think of a fool as one who is stubborn or has a lack of common sense or knowledge. Surely the root of the problem for most people who can't seem to stay out of trouble is their lack of knowledge, their own obstinacy or a dearth of guidance from others. But the Bible puts a little bit of a different spin on the concept of foolishness. If you look at t...

Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom... Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." What exactly does it mean to fear the LORD and how is this help us to gain wisdom and understanding about anything? After a little research, I have come to the conclusion that the phrase 'fear of the LORD' has two prongs to it. First, let me explain my prior sentiments of fearing the LORD. I used to think that this fear solely had to do with a sort of terror that was felt when I realized how sinful I was before a holy and perfectly righteous God. It's similar to the fear that the Israelites had when they encountered God on mount Sinai after the exodus (Ex 20:18, 19) or the fear that Isaiah felt when he realized his sin before God (Isaiah 6:5). It's a true biblical fact that our sin deserves to be punished by God; he has every right to do so because he is the just judge of the universe. Th...

The Importance of Wisdom Proverbs is probably the book I have the most trouble sitting down to read. There are so many great gems of insight contained in it; I listed some verses that caught my eye below. But it seems that whenever I read the proverbs I am convicted of what I am not doing right , smh. I tend to over-spiritualize life, thinking that my spiritual salvation in Christ is all that is necessary for a full life in God. But Proverbs is filled with hard, practical truths that force us to face our physical reality; they remind us that we live in a world where understanding of it is necessary for success. While the Proverbs are sometimes painful and challenging to read, it is good medicine for us. They train us out of the foolish and ultimately harmful patterns of life that we held to before meeting Christ. They teach us how to deal with people, the dangers of temptation and how to conduct ourselves in a manner that is pleasing to God. I hope that we will read these with a hum...

The Glory of Israel Glory of the LORD filling the temple Today's passage depicts what is undoubtedly the epoch or high point of the kingdom of Israel. The temple era seemed to usher in a sort of spiritual revival. At Mount Sinai, after the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites were terrified of God's presence as he descended on the mountain. After that time, though they had the law, the Israelites were stiff-necked. Many of the them perished in the desert due to their rebellion and unbelief. They had great conquests under the leadership of Joshua, but shortly after that, in the times of the judges, spiritual waywardness ensued. Samuel brought a brief revival as he was seemingly one of the few faithful prophets in Israel. Then under Saul, the people were partly by fear as he was not fully obedient to the Lord in his kingship. Next David ruled and became known as a man after God's own heart. He was loved by the people and ruled wisely. Then he raised up Solomon and prepare...

The Splendor of the Temple   From the description of the Temple of the LORD given in today's reading, I'd have to conclude that it was perhaps the most beautiful structure built at that time. The intricate designs, the walls and doors overlaid with gold and the symbolism of all of the furnishings leave me stunned at the artistry and creativity of God. In a world marred by sin, what better way to enter into human history than by providing a housing for the LORD such as this? But more important than the physical appearance of the temple was the purpose of it. Each day, sacrifices were to be provided for the forgiveness of Israel's sins. The temple presents a clear juxtaposition. On the one hand, the Israelites and especially priests would have approached the temple sensing God's majesty and holiness because of the shear magnificence and immaculate appearance of the temple itself.  On the other hand, though God is so different from man in his holiness and splendor, his ...

Solomon Asks for Wisdom It's remarkable that Solomon asks God for such a thing given he could have anything he wanted. From an Arminian perspective one could say that Solomon chose to ask for wisdom out of the willingness or astuteness of both heart and mind; it was his remarkable and ingenious decision to do so. On the other hand, from a Calvinist perspective one would argue that God needed to motivate or even will Solomon to ask for wisdom due to his sin-tainted human nature; after all, the relative success of Solomon's reign would determine future events such as the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. What's my point in mentioning this? Is it: a) Nothing really, I just wanted to muse on how the two seemingly opposed doctrinal stances would view this situation. or b) Thinking about this made me think more about how sometimes we get caught up in the moment of life. We often choose what's best for us, not thinking about how these decisions will affect th...

Balaam's Prophesies and Foreshadows of Jesus Numbers 24 has one of the most amazing and awe-inspiring prophecies in the Old Testament. God essentially takes an idol-worshiping sorcerer, and reveals the coming of the Messiah through him. He says in his fourth prophecy:   17 “I see him, but not now;    I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob;    a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab,    the skulls [ b ] of [ c ] all the people of Sheth. [ d ] 18 Edom will be conquered;    Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,    but Israel will grow strong. 19 A ruler will come out of Jacob    and destroy the survivors of the city.”  To some, this may seem like a long shot. But the evidence is there to support the claim that he is talking about Christ. It is traditionally held that the Magi in the second chapter of Matthew's gospel account, rega...

So many things to write about from the past several days' passages. If anyone has thoughts on the following please feel free to comment: Moses' humility Numbers 12:3 says, (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) This is a peculiar, but an arguably true statement. We see Moses humility time and again as he shepherds Israel through the wilderness. Of course, Moses burned with anger at the sight of Israel's rebellion and he himself was not without shortcomings and sinful behavior. Even, still his humility is noteworthy. (Traditionally, it is believed that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible; even Jesus and Paul attest to this. It's funny to think that he would write a statement about his own humility. Perhaps it was an insertion made by a later editor, which would explain the parentheses.) When Israel rebelled, Moses interceded for them when God sought to destroy them in holy anger. The phrase, "Mose...

Today's passages presents, in part, a wonderful account of God's dwelling with Israel; he guided them by day in the cloud and by night in the pillar of fire. Moses' relationship with God is revealed as a real and intimate one; he is deeply in-tune with God's movement whether the Israelite camp comes to a rest or sets out to a new destination. Everything that God commanded them to construct or fashion seems to be put to use, from the tabernacle to the trumpets. We also see Moses sharing his deep agonies and complaints with God. In this instance, the rabble, who were presumably not Israelite, began to sway the sentiments of God's people against Him. They even reasoned that in Egypt, they had it easy, since they were provided for. It was as if they completely forgot the ruthless labor that they were subjected to. As a parallel to Christian life, when following Christ becomes difficult we often reason that life under slavery to sin was somehow easier and even beneficia...

Because I feel that today's reading is pretty self-explanatory, I would like to expand on what the editor of this Bible says in the devotional titled "A Nation Under Law" for the date of February 5. In the gray paragraph, the very last sentence struck my heart like a sword. It says, " ...you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. " Reading about all of these laws in the books of Exodus, Numbers and Leviticus may seem very overwhelming at the surface. However, if you really think about why these laws were declared and were to obeyed, then I think you can really see the amazing love of God. Think about where these Israelites are coming from-they were slaves in Egypt but freed by the power of God's hand. After seeing that the road ahead of them was not going to be as easy as they thought, they grumbled about many things: food, water and safety. They even forged a calf out of gold when they had thought God was taking too long with Moses on Mount Sinai. They...

Jacob Meets his Match (in both Laban and Rachel) Jacob, awe-struck by Rachel Jacob arrives in Haran safely and shortly thereafter meets Rachel, the daughter of his uncle, Laban. After Jacob and Rachel share a cinema-worthy romance scene by the well, Laban greets Jacob and invites him into his home. Jacob is utterly smitten by Rachel and offers to work seven years in exchange for her hand in marriage. Laban slyly agrees as he has it in mind to extort additional work out of Jacob. On the night of the wedding, Laban manages to have Leah, his oldest daughter, instead of Rachel sleep with Jacob. Perhaps Jacob was inebriated to the point that he was unaware of what was truly transpiring. Jacob is stunned when he realizes what has been done. On the surface, he accepts Laban's exceedingly lame and insulting excuse and resolves to work seven more years for the right to marry Rachel. In all, Jacob worked fourteen years in exchange for Rachel and Leah and their maidservants Billah and ...

Back Story of Jacob and Esau Last time, I skipped over writing about these two figures because I wanted to focus exclusively on the finality of Abraham’s story. But now, their story deserves the spotlight, so let’s then illuminate their respective estates. In order to drive home the point that God’s plan of salvation starts and finishes with the working of His power and will, His intervention is required again in the process of conception. Jacob and Esau are born as twins (with Esau coming out first). Duly noted should be Jacob’s deceptive character from the outset as, even from the time that they were in the womb, he grasped the foot of his brother; this will be a reoccurring them throughout his story. Also of importance is the prophecy concerning the two brothers before their births. Rumble in the Jungle, Part 1 Jacob sure did 'rope-a-dope' Esau like Ali did to Foreman Rebekah was perplexed about the jostling she felt in her womb. So she inquired of God...

Abraham Dies, and Yet Lives Forever with God Abe looks forward to coming of Jesus' day So, we finally come to the close of Abraham's life. It has been a fascinating journey to say the least. I've learned many things through his life. From a New Testament perspective, it can be said that his life looked forward to the coming of Jesus Christ (John 8:56-59). He was credited with righteousness which would be paid out when Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world (Rom 4:22-25). This fascinating fact and reality is part of the fulfillment of what is known as the 'Abrahamic Covenant'. This is much different from the later Mosaic Covenant, which was conditional (man had to do something in order to fulfill the covenant) and temporary. The Abrahamic Covenant, on the other hand, is unconditional (God is the one who will fulfill the covenant) and everlasting. Most Bible scholars agree that the Abrahamic Covenant is the single most important covenant in the Bi...

Isaac and Rebekah Marry: Looking Forward to the Promise of the Messiah At face value, this passage appears to be mainly concerned with Eastern marriage customs or guidelines on what to look for in a godly spouse. These aspects can surely be gleaned from the text, but we should also take note of the context. In terms of God's plan of world salvation, we come to understand the importance of what kind of person Isaac marries. Notice the tone of Abraham's charge to his servant: "I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac." ancient Canaanite drawing He reiterates this same sentiment after his servant asks about what to do if his plans fail. Abraham is adamant about his servant refusing to take a wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites. In what s...